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Plans to build a £31.5m manufacturing plant on the Teesside Corus site have been announced.

Preliminary work is under way in Redcar on the development of a new facility to produce monopiles.

The massive steel structures, weighing up to 650 tonnes, are used to secure offshore wind turbines to the seabed.

There are hopes the move will create up to 220 jobs at the site of the plant which was partially mothballed with the loss of 1,600 jobs in February.

Corus intends to redeploy and re-equip redundant buildings on the 3,000-acre site for the production and shipment of monopiles.

The company's products director, Jon Bolton, said it was taking action now to establish its position in what is an emerging market.

He said: "The development of a new plant is dependent on us securing enough orders for monopiles.

"Our engineers will be carrying out work in Teesside over the coming weeks to give us a head start on creating a new facility."

The news has been welcomed by the Community Union.

General secretary Michael Leahy said: "This is proof that green industry can be built upon the back of traditional industry, not replace it.

"It is reassuring to see that Corus have taken this decision to invest in the renewable energy industry, to invest in British manufacturing and to invest in the workers of Teesside.